The Poladian Project

Leon Poladian

Great teachers should always be celebrated and Sydney University will be doing just that this month, holding an interdisciplinary STEM-based conference to celebrate the life of Associate Professor Leon Poladian. A member of the School of Mathematics at the University of Sydney and a Director of the National Mathematics Summer School, Leon was a much-loved faculty member and researcher who sadly passed away last year. He was an engaging educator interested in everything from biology, food, maths, language, optics, origami, art, science fiction and politics.

Sydney University’s “Poladian Project” takes place on 19-20th Feb (plus some “fringe” events) and features a similarly broad range of speakers and workshops on STEM-related topics. It is a free festival and all speakers and workshops have been chosen because Leon’s colleagues think he would think they were cool.

A highlight will be Robert Lang’s evening lecture on origami along with a range of national and international speakers on topics from how bees can make drones more efficient to building robots out of DNA, and workshops that range from learning principles of astrophysics through dance to the mathematics of origami and the science of food.

All events are open to the public, including some workshops that are tailored to high-school students. Everyone is welcome, but some events require (free) registration. All details, dates and registrations here.